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Liveblogging the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis

Made it to City West… very quick drive up. Myself and Suzie are here in one of the press rooms. I will try and update this post as I go, as well as update on Twitter. You can follow everyone who is either here, or commenting on the Ard Fheis, at Scibble Live.

Just recorded this video of Cowen leaving. Media scrum etc. Somehow I ended up standing next to Mr C several times. You can hear his wife say “Ride the storm” near the start.

As I was saying on Twitter, there were two over-riding emotions while I sat watching Coughlan, Lenihan and Hanafin. The first was a lack of taking responsibility. The recession just happened. Fianna Fail were unfortunate enough to be in power and have to make the hard decisions. But there’s no sense that any of the problems the economy faces were caused by 11 years of Fianna Fail policies. The property bubble was the fault of the banks and “subprime” lenders; gamblers bet on assets increasing in value – but Fianna Fail have nothing to do with the current problems. I don’t buy it.

Second was the preaching. Watching many of the speakers, it felt like being at Mass. Sermons are delivered, and the faithful clap. More sermons, more clapping. Repetition about the current economic climate and international factors. Very little vision, and very little in the way of a sense of blame. Fianna Fail simply fell victim to global economic circumstance…

Second video of the Cowen exit. Best bit is Johnny Ronan from Treasury Holdings. “Howya Johnny,” says Cowen, as they shake hands. Jaysus it’s Johnny Foley, a FF councillor. Head off each other!

15.45: Not much going on, thanks to a gap on speaking and some tea for the bloggers and journos. I’m feeling the effects of getting up at 6.45 this morning.

16.40: Dermot Ahern answers some questions for the press in the media centre at City West. Good questions on white collar crime. The sound quality isn’t the best at the start… apologies.

18.30 I just finished reading Cowen’s speech as it will be delivered later tonight. It feels like the usual stuff, but I guess it depends on how it is delivered. The biggest news to me is new banking regulation, which will be highlighted in the early part of the speech.

19.45 in the press area, waiting for the main event. Coughlan speaking now.

20.00 Tenors singing after an appearance by our former esteemed leader. *cough*. Fields of Athenry on now…

Cowen’s speech:

Banking commission

Cowen says he will create a new Central Banking Commission. Basically the Financial Regulator is being reintegrated with the Central Bank. A reversal of policy since 2002. They say they ill base regulation on the Canadian model. Followed by usual stuff about reform, independence and transparency. There will also be a new Head of Banking Regulation – with an “international reputation”.

Alongside this will be the Financial Services Consumer Agency. This will be a merge of the consumer division of the Financial Regulator and the Office of the Financial Ombudsman.

“This initiative will mark an end to a sorry chapter in Irish banking history,” says Mr Cowen.

The sorry chapter that was partly, or even largely, created by lacklustre regulation encouraged by successive FF governments. Most recently Ahern, McCreevy and Cowen have all allowed this situation to exist, despite advice to the contrary. McCreevy encouraged a light hand – and FF’s attitude to regulation is clearly evidenced by the lack of new laws, or resources, for the prosecution of white collar criminals after successive banking scandals. Despite dozens of warning signs, and wholescale fraud on the party of some of our major bank, nothing was done in response. No-one lost a job, not to mention sent to prison.

We will see what this new regulation will mean, but it strikes me as again moving around the deck chairs to dress it up as something new with a new name and a new logo. It will still be the same staff, minus the “international” dimension.

From Dempsey’s speech:

“The fact is, that a small number of sophisticated money manipulators endangered the economic survival of our people.

There’s not parallel in history for the damage they have done to this nation – except perhaps Cromwell.

And even Cromwell was motivated by reasons other than personal gain.”

Obama: Hitler or Anti-Christ?

Hehehe.

Love the Usual Suspects bit.

Gerry Gannon

Gerry Gannon has been a builder/property developer since the 1980s. (Not to be confused with the anti-divorce lawyer of the same name)

As far back as 1986, Mr Gannon – through the firm Structural Developments Ltd – was building at Castle Village in Celbridge.

In 1988, Gannon, through another firm – Noteworthy Limited – with partner Michael Anglim, planned to build 710 houses at Brackenstown close to Swords. At the time it was one of the largest schemes submitted to Dublin County Council. Permission was granted for the scheme in October 1988. The scheme at the time was said to be worth upwards of £40m.

The site on which the houses were built was bought by Noteworthy Ltd as a parcel of land in 1987. The land was zoned for residential purposes in 1983 against the recommendation of the Council’s planning officials.

In April 1990, Mr Gannon, now trading through Gannon Homes, sought permission for a £70m residential scheme and a shopping centre on a 110-acre site on the Malahide road.

The scheme involved 915 houses on a 95 acre site fronting the Malahide Road and the Hole in the Wall road at Ayrfield. They also lodged planning applications for a drive-in restaurant, a pub and a library.

The firm bought the land from two sites. The 95 acres were bought from Abbey Group and the 15-acre site was the site of the former Clare Manor Hotel.

Gannon Homes had previously built developments at Rathfarnham village, Orla Grove, Scholarstown Road and Celbridge.

Meat dumping

In January 1992, meat destroyed in a blaze at United Meat Packers plant in Ballaghdreen, Co Roscommon, were dumped in a quarry in Co Westmeath. The quarry at New Forest, Tyrrellspass was owned by a Mr Gerry Gannon. Local people expressed anger at the dumping.

The dumping began on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 8, 1992, when a fleet of lorries arrived, it was reported in the Irish Times. The dumping was suspended shortly before midnight, but resumed on Thursday January 9 and continued throughout the day.

Local landowners and farmers estimated that 400 tonnes of charred meat had been brought to the local quarry. Locals planned a picket of the quarry for Friday morning.

The dumping was supervised by officials from the Department of Agriculture. Tonnes of quicklime and gravel were poured on top of the charred meat.

Malahide/Portmarnock

In July 1993, North Dublin was in the throes of mass re-zonings. Many of these re-zonings would become subject to investigation to the Flood/Mahon Tribunal.

On July 16, 1993, the Irish Times reported under the heading: Baldoyle slipped through the net- But only after a fight: North County Dublin was right in the firing line for the blitz of rezoning decisions by the County Council, writes Frank McDonald.

Other stories on the same page described the large amounts of cash being handed out in envelopes to councillors.

Due to publicity surrounding the rezoning of greenbelt lands separating Baldoyle from Portmarnock, the vote was defeated. Pennine Holdings, fronted by Frank Dunlop had sought the rezoning.

This was amid a slew of rezonings taking place at the time. The Times reported:

The most ingenious deal involves the Malahide/Portmarnock greenbelt, where Gerry Gannon, of Gannon Homes, enlisted the support of seven sports clubs in the area for two major rezoning proposals.

When the matter came before the council last April, the county planners stressed the importance of preserving the greenbelt and recommended that there should be no change in the draft plan. However, an omnibus rezoning motion tabled by GV Wright (FF, Malahide) and Michael Kennedy (FF, Malahide), designed for the Gannon Homes scheme, was passed by 33 votes to 28.

The scheme, which would effectively reduce the width of the greenbelt at its narrowest point to not much more than a few hundred yards, is opposed by the Malahide Community Council, the Portmarnock Community Association, the Dunes Action Group and the Biscayne Residents Association. It will be the subject of a rescinding motion tabled by Bernie Malone (Labour, Malahide).

In September 1993 it was reported that council could face legal challenges to one of its decisions on Sep 27 1993, to allow zoning for 250 houses on 37.5 acres of greenbelt at Robswalls, between Malahide and Portmarnock.

By rezoning, the councillors ignored the advice of planning officials.

This was related to the earlier July decision. The deal, subject to planning permission, would see a deal between the sports clubs who would get new pitches and facilities in return for their existing pitches in the Swords/Portmarnock green belt.

It ensured the clubs’ active support for the rezoning, and led opposition councillors to express concern that developers would be able to use public “inducements” to get around the planning process.

County manager, Al Smith, intervened three times at the meeting to tell councillors speaking in favour of the motion – and the deal – that it was not lawful for the council to take an arrangement between third parties into consideration when voting on development plan, which is supposed to be concerned solely with proper planning.

Councillor Anne Devitt (FG), supported the rezoning, arguing that the proximity of housing to the land made it impossible to farm.

“Farmers have to ride with a shotgun when they are harvesting to ward off savages who are attacking them as they are harvesting,” she said.

The vote was 37 to 24 in favour of the rezoning.

The sports associations said that the deal depended on further rezonings, including 57 acres at Wheatfield Stud.

In February 1996 Gannon Homes paid almost 1.4m for a 2.35 acre site at Main Street, Malahide Road, Swords. Work stated on this site in April 1997. 32,000sq ft of shops were built.

In October 1996, another parcel of land proposed for rezoning by Cllr Anne Devitt and Cyril Gallagher was up for voting. It was 160 acres of Rathbeale Road, north of Swords for a mixed housing development. This land was mainly owned by Mr Gannon. He also sought the rezoning of 13 acres of land at Rathingle for housing, in a motion tabled by Seamus Lyons (FF) and Liam Creaven (FF).

On January 27 and 28, 2005, Mr Gannon was questioned by the Mahon Tribunal in relation to payments from Noel Smyth and Co which were said to have originated from an Isle of Man account controlled by Goodman International.

Gary McGann resigns from DAA

Former Anglo director Gary McGann has resigned as chairman of the Dublin Airport Authority. Gary McGann was among five non-executive directors who resigned from Anglo on January 19 — just before the Government took steps to nationalise it.

In the 1980s Mr McGann worked in the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General before joining LM Ericsson and then drinks firm Gilbeys of Ireland.

In April 1994, Mr McGann became chief executive of Aer Lingus.

In December 1994, McGann missed out on becoming a director of Aer Lingus when then Transport Minister Brian Cowen made 10 appointments to State boards during his last week in office.

Cowen appointed Michael McDonnell, an assistant secretary at the department, to the board of Aer Lingus. It had been expected Mr McGann would fill the vacancy.

In May 1998 Mr McGann left Aer Lingus to become chief financial officer at Jefferson Smurfit.

In 1999 Anglo Irish bought Smurfit Paribas for £30m.

On January 1, 2000, Mr McGann succeeded Patrick Wright as president and chief operations officer at Smurfit Group. Later that month he joined the board of Smurfit.

In early 2002 he became chief executive of Smurfit.

On January 21, 2002, Mr McGann was appointed to the board of Anglo Irish Bank, along with Tom Browne (then head of its wealth management division).

In 2007, Mr McGann was named as a shareholder in ISTC, the group that collapsed that year with debts of €871m. The group was started in 2005 by former Anglo executive Tiernan O’Mahony. Dennis O’Brien and Sean Quinn were also shareholders.

Mr McGann became the chairman of the DAA upon its creation in 2004.

Ryanair had called for his resignation this morning.

Naming the 10 – Ross and Lenihan

Sayeth Dick Roche:

A Minister of State has today contended that the Government cannot identify the ten individuals involved in the €451 million transaction to purchase shares in Anglo Irish Bank being unwound by businessman Sean Quinn.

Dick Roche, the Minister for European Affairs, said today that the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan told him that as sole shareholder of the nationalised bank, he has no right to receive information as to identity of the ten individuals.

Mr Roche also rejected allegations that the Government was trying to protect or shield any of the ten.

In a statement responding to weekend media reports that purported to name some of the ten investors, Mr Roche has that Mr Lenihan had confirmed to him that the requirement of confidentiality is laid down in the Central Bank Act 1942.

“It would completely undermine the confidence of customers generally in Anglo Irish Bank if the Minister as shareholder could obtain access to confidential customer information,” said Mr Roche.

The public already know the name of four of the 10. Does Mr Lenihan read the papers? Is Mr Lenihan aware that a close personal friend of his, a close neighbour, and a constituent – Seamus Ross – is one of the 10? I can send him a text if he likes, or maybe an email?


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